After placing fifth in last year’s Class 4A state meet with 51 points, the Ankeny girls’ track team could contend for a trophy this season.
The Hawkettes boast 11 returning state qualifiers and four other athletes who were alternates for the state meet.
“We are excited for this team and what we can do in big meets,” said Ankeny coach TJ Jumper. “This group has huge meet experience with some even competing at the national level over the summer. We are looking for them to take the next step performance-wise while also balancing the process of building depth and getting our young athletes experience. Our goals for this year are focusing on the process, handling adversity, being detailed and executing, supporting each other, finish top two at conference, winning the district meet, and finishing top five at state.”
Senior distance runner Makenna Madetzke and sophomore sprinter Morgan Fisher are Ankeny’s top returnees. They won the 3,000 and the 200, respectively, to lead the Hawkettes to a runner-up finish at last year’s CIML Conference meet.
Madetzke, a Missouri State recruit, went on to earn four medals at the state meet. She placed sixth in the 800 with a time of 2:14.31 and finished fifth in the 1,500 in 4:36.40.
Madetzke anchored Ankeny to a runner-up finish in the distance medley relay. Fisher, Charlee Cibula and Lillian Buckley are also back from that unit, which set a school record of 4:00.10 that was the second-fastest time ever in Iowa.
Madetzke also anchored the Hawkettes to a fifth-place finish in the 4×800 relay. Reagan Prendergast and Gillian Schramm are other returning runners from that foursome, which was clocked in 9:16.43.
Fisher, meanwhile, placed fourth in the 400 in 56.61 seconds. It was the second-fastest time in school history.
Fisher took 11th in the 200 in 25.58. She also teamed up with Cibula, Prendergast and Buckley to place fourth in the 4×400 relay in 3:52.10, which set another school record.
Buckley finished right behind Fisher in the 200, placing 12th in 25.59. Cibula took 15th in the 100 in 12.74, while Schramm finished 20th in the 400 in 1:01.66.
The other returning state qualifiers are Brylee Bach, Mila Badillo, Maliya Cobb, Riley Kayser and Quinn Roush.
Roush placed 20th in the 100 hurdles in 16.78. Bach and Kayser joined Cibula on the 19th-place 4×200 relay.
Badillo and Cobb will be counted upon for some points in the field events. Cobb placed 20th at the state meet in the discus with a throw of 109 feet 1 inch, while Badillo tied for 14th in the high jump at 5-0.
Badillo will try to pick up the slack following the graduation of state high jump champion Reagan Hanfelt, who also won three conference titles in the event.
Gwyn Christensen, Ella Schulz, Isabel Squires and Vanessa Wise are also back after serving as alternates at the state meet. Squires recently committed to play soccer at North Dakota State.
“The keys for us this year is our returners continue to improve and our varsity newcomers gain experience and confidence,” Jumper said. “We have to be mindful and purposeful on and off the track with our habits to ensure our training physically, mentally, emotionally, and technically transfers over to competition. If we can stay healthy and focused, this team can have some really special moments and add to the Ankeny track and field legacy.”
Ankeny competed in only one indoor meet this spring–the IATC Championships on March 12 at Ames. Most of the team was off on spring break, but the Hawkettes got some strong performances from those who did participate.
“We were very pleased and saw what we wanted to see,” Jumper said. “Morgan set a new PR in the 200 and moved into No. 2 all-time on our school 200 list behind only (assistant) coach Laura (Jumper). Lena Bruening, a transfer, placed second in the long jump. Both of them made the final of the 60-meter dash, and we were one of only two teams with two athletes in that final. Charlee ran a great 200 and was only off her PR by two-tenths of a second. We were also happy with our relays as we were working on building our depth.”
In addition to his wife, who coaches the team’s hurdlers and long jumpers, Jumper will rely heavily on the other assistant coaches. They are Cade Gilbert (throws), Josh Einertson (sprints), Brooke Kane (high jump, hurdles, sprints) and new assistant Sara Schwendinger (distance).
“We are fortunate to have a very connected coaching staff,” Jumper said.
Ankeny will compete in the Emporia State Invitational on Saturday in Kansas.